A couple who weigh a combined 46 stone have told how their lives have been transformed after being filmed for a prime-time TV show.

Ami and Adam Flaherty appeared on ITV’s The 18-30 Stone Holiday last night after they spent a week in the world’s first hotel exclusively for obese people.

Now they have revealed their self-confidence is at an all-time high and both believe they are in the right frame of mind to lose weight – and keep it off.

Together they are attending Slimming World with Ami already dropping from 24st 7lbs to 23st 11lbs.

Ami and Adam on their wedding day

The 28-year-old teaching assistant, from Meir, said: “I have always been the largest person in my friend group. I have struggled with my weight since I was little. In my clothes I’m a confident person but in my swimsuit it’s a different story.

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“I would feel like everyone was staring at me and talking about me even if they weren’t. I was beating myself up about it. My body confidence was so low.

Ami and Adam on a boat trip

“After being filmed for the show, I have now un-picked what has been going on in my own mind. I’d done diets before and lost a few pounds but then something would happen and I would comfort eat. I’d think ‘what’s the point?’ and start eating unhealthily again.

“I’m ready to lose weight now. I already have high blood pressure and I don’t want to get to the point where I start developing diabetes. This time I know I can do it.”

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The pair applied for the show after seeing it advertised on The Sentinel’s Facebook page and finding out they met the 18-plus stone criteria.

They then had four auditions over Skype before being selected to appear.

Eight Brits took part in the show

Ami and Adam then flew out to the Bahamas for a week-long break at The Resort on the island of Eleuthera where they were joined by six other plus-size Brits.

Former St Peter’s High School student Ami added: “The whole experience was amazing and I’ve made friends for life. One of the highlights was swimming in the sea with pigs – they don’t judge you like people do.

Ami and Adam got hitched in 2014

“One of the other guests was a plus-size model and she really helped us learn to love our bodies and now I want to spread that message to other people.”

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Staying at The Resort was also a second chance at a honeymoon after the couple described their first one to Egypt in 2014 as a ‘holiday from hell’.

Fork-lift truck driver Adam, who weighs 22 stone, said: “Our honeymoon was such a disaster. Ami would be standing out on the balcony and looking at the slim girls and then she would refuse to leave the room. She wanted to cover herself up but it was boiling.

Ami and Adam frolick in the sea

“It caused no end of arguments and after five days we nearly got on a plane and came back home. We hadn’t been abroad again until we went to The Resort.

“It has completely transformed our lives. It’s changed the way Ami thinks about herself. She doesn’t care if anyone looks at her now. It wasn’t about losing weight but about building confidence.

Ami and Adam now want to lose weight

“We’ve both always been big but we found ourselves eating unhealthy food because it’s cheaper and more convenient.

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“We know we need to both lose weight for our daughter. We also want to have another child down the line. This has opened our eyes and we’re looking to the future now.”

The couple have since been to Tenerife since with their four-year-old daughter Olivia last August.

The couple enjoy a romantic stroll on the beach

And despite a teenage girl secretly filming Ami on her mobile, she did not let it ruin her getaway.

Ami added: “I saw this girl follow me with her mobile. It was my worst nightmare. I went back to Adam and he just reminded my about everything I had learned in the Bahamas and I realised he was right.

“I then took a selfie of myself which I posted on social media. I don’t care if someone films me now but I want people to know how hurtful it can be for others. There’s a story behind every large person and I hope people who watched us on TV will see that.”